The Panthers dropped to 9-7 overall, 1-4 in the CAA, while James Madison improved to 10-7, 4-1 in the CAA. The win was the seventh in the last eight games for JMU.

Georgia State trailed just 49-45 after a bucket by Cody Paulk with 5:50 left, but the Dukes scored the next 11 points, including three straight three-point plays, to push their advantage to 60-45 with less than three minutes to go. Tarik Hislop began that 11-0 run with back-to-back three-point plays, then Kirby Burkholder followed with another one, and Jazmon Gwaltney added a jumper.

The Panthers had closed to 38-37 at 10:50 on a drive by Nolan and had a chance to take the lead at 10:20, but missed the layup.

Both teams played solid defense as GSU held the Dukes to 20-for-58 shooting, while the Panthers were almost an identical 20-for-57. GSU did rebound to shoot 46.4% in the second half (13-of-28). But James Madison managed to sink 20 of 21 (96.2%) from the free throw line, compared to just 7-for-13 by GSU.

Kayla Nolan led the Panthers with 13 points, while Cody Paulk added 12 points. Freshman Gaby Moss came off the bench to contribute 10 points, four rebounds and five assists.

Hislop led a trio of Dukes in double figures with 20 points,while Precious Hall scored 18 points, and Burkholder added 17. James Madison had a 44-35 rebound advantage, the largest against GSU this season.

"We did some good things today and played a solid game, but they made plays down the stretch and we didn't. That was the difference in the game," said GSU head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener.

The first half featured a defensive battle with both teams shooting below 25 percent from the field, while forcing 25 turnovers between them. James Madison took a 23-17 lead into the locker room on the strength of its 10-for-10 performance from the free throw line, compared to just 2-for-2 for the Panthers.

Georgia State now hits the road for a two-game swing at Old Dominion Thursday and then at George Mason Sunday.